Ascension Lutheran church invites you to find a spirit, or holiness, in nature.

Here is a walking trail open to the entire community. Feel free to walk at your own pace under tall white pine trees on soft pine chips with your family.

Walking a meditation trail may bring you a kind of knowing that offers deeper insightor compassion for oneself, other people, and the Earth. Wildflowers, mushrooms, and many bird species accompany you.

The trail includes a labyrinth with a bench for resting at the center. People have walked labyrinths as a spiritual practice for many centuries at churches throughout the world. The labyrinth is not a maze meant to puzzle and disorient; rather, it is a circular path that will always lead you into the center and back out again.

Some people experience walking a labyrinth as bringing them into the present moment, because it offers time to really look at and be in the surrounding landscape.

Some experience leaving distractions behind, a natural invitation to meditation or prayer.

At the center, one may contemplate the journey, be it spiritual, contemplative, or a respite from everyday life.

In leaving, one reenters the routines of life, perhaps feeling more balanced, soothed, or hopeful.

Dogs are welcome with the assurance you will pick up after them.

A kiosk at the start of the trail (adjacent to the unpaved circular driveway just off Allen Rd. at Ascension Lutheran church) offers a brochure with meditations for your walk and a list of the labeled trees along the path. Parking spaces are available in Ascension’s parking lot.

All are welcome!

Click through the photo slideshow below to see a few little glimpses into the beautiful sights you'll find along your way through the trail.